Never Gonna Be Alone
by Shadow Shirami Mitsuko
Summary: He was depressed. Coreved by the deepest darkness, until Sonic arrived, like the Sun, bringing light and warmth to his heart. [Sonadow]
1. Chapter 1

Uh, hi?

Well, as a start, I'd like to thank my friend Kazuhiro the Sergal for helping me with the translation. English isn't my native language, actually. This was the first Sonadow I've ever wrote, and I've posted it first in my native language, in a national site, and now my story is here, so I hope you like it.

Without further ado, enjoy my story!

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It was one of these nights where he barely slept, and the feeling of emptiness, a void in his heart took over more and more. He didn't knew how much he could take anymore. The pain was just too much, this burden was too heavy for him toc arry himself, and he just saw no fun in anything to distract his mind anymore.

It was unbelievable to simply think about, but him, Shadow, was depressive. He didn't knew what to do, or even if it was something to be done. The Hedgehog was just crawling on his core. He left G.U.N. for advice of Commander himself, that was incredibly condenscending with him, freeing him from a place where he would be nearly useless, in the emotional state he was.

He didn't took visits, hid from his allies; long he didn't felt the warm sunlight over his face, or even the soft breeze that usually marks the beginning of the night. He just laid, curled under blankets and pillow, haunted by an unreal cold feeling, which was just emotional.

He often rebuked himself, telling himself that it was irrational for him to be in such state, though he had no idea of how, or why he was in such condition. It was just felt, and its effect took him over, saddening him. His reasons were weird to himself, he didn't understood himself anymore. Why, why Shadow, the Ultimate Life Form, was curled, crying in a cold, empty bedroom? He just wanted to never had reached existence; He wanted to die; Or to simply disappear from the Earth, without leaving any hint, or memory for the ones who knew him.

Once hearing the sound of his door being knocked, he curled a little more, surrounded by trembling. He did not even thought about getting up to receive whoever it was, nor even to tell that one to not bother him. He was totally drained of energy.

"Shadow, open up! I know you're there!" The voice he less expected could be heard coming from the other side of this door. Definitely, he had no mood to receive him, his blue-furred rival. He chose to ignore him, covering his head with the blankets.

"Shadow, open up, or else I'm opening forcibly!" Insisted the blue hedgehog, causing Shadow to only curl a little more.

Sighing, Sonic gripped the doorknob, and twisted it. As if it listened to his words, the wooden door opened itself; it was unlocked. Shadow forgot to lock it up, and it sounded like an alert in Sonic's mind: The blue hedgehog was not worried about the black hedgehog's seclusion, until now.

The Blue Blur walked and silently, looking disapprovingly at the huge mess that was on the corridors and room. Every room he faced was incredibly filthy, even with an intense odor, from the lack of cleaning. Finally reaching his destination, Shadow's bedroom, which was also unlocked, though Sonic wished it was.

Slowly opening the door, careful not to scare the ebony hedgehog, he snuck in that bedroom, shutting it back with that image which he faced. Visible dark circles under these scarlet eyes, and an unhealthy weakness could be seen on the other's body. He could not believe that this, right in front of him, was Shadow the Hedgehog, once so vivid, so strong.

"OH MY GOD, Shadow!" He ran towards his ebony rival, removing the thick blankets over him, noticing this weakened body, which was bordering on malnutrition. Rifling through the bag he carried, Sonic took from it one of his favorite chili dogs, handing it to the Ultimate Life Form.

"Take this, you need to eat something." He said, with one of his typical smiles, winking friendly at his rival.

"No-" Shadow was interrupted by the sound of his stomach, once this smell instantly brought an intense hunger over the ebony hedgehog, who quickly took it from his rival's hands and voraciously ate it.

Sonic just smiled at that scene, watching the once calm and controlled Shadow behaving like a hungry beast, even getting a little dirty in the act of satisfying his hunger. Taking off a few more chili dogs, he handed every unit his hands could hold to his rival, obviously not caring about sharing it with someone in urgent need.

"Take it easy, you can fall ill." Sonic warned with a calm voice, hearing a grunt as an answer.

The Blue Blur just watched the Ultimate Life Form feed, smiling tenderly, before pulling off a handkerchief from his bag, in order to approach the ebony hedgehog, who even got himself a little dirty in the act of satisfying his hunger. When Sonic carefully cleaned his face, Shadow instantly felt rather astonished and embarrassed.

"Careful, chill…." Touching his back, carefully, the Cobalt Speedster touched the Black Blur's back, showing himself pretty afraid of hurting the other, before feeling a tight, firm grip, which was followed by a cry, a painful, deep cry, with noisy sobs of agony.

"Don't cry…" – The blue hero muttered to his rival, while returning this hug, comforting Shadow in his arms.

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R&R

Shadow Shirami Mitsuko


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry for the delay.

Thanks for my friend Kazuhiro for the helping me with translate.

Without further ado, good read.

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It was pretty insane, maybe part of some of his many delusions, but which was the reason of him feeling warm arms around him? He felt weird, while his mind gradually dove deeper in the darkness of unconsciousness…

Sonic noticed that something had happened when the other's hiccups stopped, and such body softened motionless on his arms. The Blue Blur slowly rose the dangerously fragile hedgehog he once hugged with a very attentive care, once such kind of treatment was not common to the other, yet the Cobalt Speedster noticed that, if proper care wasn't taken, a disaster could happen; he wasn't carrying an object, but another living being's body, just like himself.

It was never so torturous to carry the other to his bed, mainly when every inch of that body showed a clear "FRAGILE!" alert. Luckily, the fitment was close, which made it easier. Still there were obstacles, other setbacks on Sonic's way. The open window was an example, from where a frosty wind entered this bedroom, and the consternation for the one he carried was exceeding.

Once he finally laid Shadow on his bed, resting the Black Blur on blankets and pillows, running to the window to close it shut as quickly as possible, cursing the cold winds and the dark sky, which showed signs of possible upcoming rain, or at worst – which was more frequent on this season – snow, in a low tone.

His trip back was postponed, once he was afraid that something bad could happen to his speed rival. Never out of his nature to let anyone fend for themselves, and it wasn't gonna happen now; this Tenacious Blur was not known as the Hero of Mobius for no reason, and he knew that, if he needed help, Shadow would be there for him. Of course, his own way, once the Avengeful Dark Blur never fit himself in the "hero" stereotype, choosing to act alone, and usually "in the dark".

Something called his attention. Muffed moans. Quickly reaching Shadow to check what it was, he noticed the Ultimate Life Form sweating intensely. Sonic lost no time, taking off some of these blankets, trying to measure Shadow's temperature with the back of his hand, instantly noticing it seemed to be on fire. Losing no time, he ran towards the kitchen, bringing a cup of water, and a white towel – the only he could find -, and began drying the excessive sweat from the other's forehead. It was clear he needed help; he couldn't take care of another being by himself, and, for that reason, he bursted outside, being as fast as he could at locking the door and taking the key with himself.

He felt the cold wind surrounding his body, though he had no time to go back or give up, and, even if bothering someone at this time was annoying, he would ask the help of the one who always knew what to do or not, his faithful companion of journeys, the Twin-Tailed Vulpe, Miles "Tails" Prower.

Reaching his destiny, he showed no hesitation before knocking the door. Once, twice, five times, until the fox opened the door, wearing a blue pajama, and an equally colored hood by his head, slightly rubbed his eyes, muttering.

"Sonic… Do you know what time is it?" Tails asked, with a tired tone, looking sleepy at the breathless hedgehog.

"Tails… I… Need help… P-please…" Breathlessly, Sonic answered, holding on the wooden door jamb for support, slightly bent, and his head lowered.

"First, come inside. It's too cold here." The small fox answered, slightly trembling.

"I d-don't have… Much time…" Gradually, the hedgehog's breath stabilized. "Shadow's ill… Tails, I have no idea of what to do…" He admitted, with his head lowered.

"How's him, Sonic?" The fox asked, showing concern and interest in his tone.

"No good… He's unhealthily thin, and was burning with fever when I saw him. I don't know what to do, nor how to help him…" The Blue Blur's emerald green eyes showed a comprehensive, clear sadness, a look Tails already saw, and understood, the look of someone feeling impotent before an emergency.

Sighing, the young fox gestured with his hands for Sonic to wait. Running inside his residence, Tails removed his sleeping clothes, and grabbing his first aid kit in the bathroom. Going back outside with some urgency, he had a purple scarf around his neck, offering a second to Sonic, which formally accepted it, quickly wearing it as well. Then, both departed in a wild run through the wind. The time was short, and each second was vital for Shadow… And for Sonic, as well; his pride and honor lied in helping others in need, regardless of who it was.

Seeing Shadow's residence caused a fear to take over Sonic's chest. "What if he didn't came back quickly enough? What if his run for help took too long? What if… NO." Shaking his head to wipe away these thoughts, Sonic finally reached the front door with his companion, and quickly opened it. As they came back in, these thoughts still haunted the Azure Speedster's mind, and it slowly grew roots, just like weed.

Tails quickly entered that bedroom, shutting the door right in front of Sonic, telling him that, if he stood there as well, his nervousness would distract, and even bother him. The blue hedgehog frowned in confusion. Was him nervous? Was it obvious enough to be a clear reason for him to be kept outside? He had reasons to be nervous, it was someone known; close to him very sickened, and weak. For the first time in a good while, he had no idea of how to act. He was useless, and that was how he felt.

Time slowly passed as he constantly patted his feet on the small living room's floor. He tried watching TV, yet no of the available channels kept his attention for more than a minute, and the lack of news was a mental torture for him. But why was him so nervous? He didn't knew he answer, he simply couldn't find a reason. He just felt it.

Tails entered that room with a certain splurge, knowing that Sonic wouldn't be nervous for no reason. Knowing the Hedgehog, and his relaxed nature, it HAD to be a reason for him to be so worried, and that something was not right, so much for him, as for the people around him. The fox looked at the sleeping figure, sighing. He had never been so close to Shadow, and was even slightly afraid of what that dark figure represented, hence he never took the risk of being so close. Not that he hated or repelled the other, but he respected Shadow's personal space.

Fearful, he turned on the lights, with absolutely no intent of waking him up. Yet, he needed luminosity to be able to work. He careful and masterfully took off these blankets, and gently capped Shadow's mouth, suppressing a surprised gasp. That, in no way, was the same hedgehog they met before. That face, even asleep, showed tension and exhaustion. That body was unhealthily thin. His bones were even prominent on his poorly maintained skin, and his fur had absolutely no shine at all. Sonic was right… Shadow was very sick.

It was like seeing death in front of himself. It was scary, it was horrible. The young fox never saw someone in such decadent state, not even Sonic had reached such level before. It was too much for him to bear alone, but he needed to do it. Thoroughly examining the ebony hedgehog, he noticed some wounds that his fur hid. Some were already infected due to inattention, and others even seemed to have been made purposely, as if Shadow wanted to hurt himself. Not knowing if his suspicions led to the truth, he ignored his curiosity and began working.

It wasn't hard, once he used to take care of many wounds, from Sonic and many others, but the figure he was working on was different. Shadow didn't seem to have any strength, nor the ability to heal himself as fast as Sonic. Even knowing of his immortality, he doubted that his immune system would work properly in such state, hence he was very careful, giving the best of his attention and care, cleaning older, infected wounds, and covering them with gauze, to avoid further contamination.

Sighing tired, he rose a bag of serum, setting up a stand near the bed. He did that many times, but, in that moment, he felt insecure, to a point where his hands trembled. Why was it so hard? Maybe because it wasn't one of his best-known patients, and someone cold as the bedridden hedgehog could get offended. After a moment, he shook his head, in order to recover his focus. "Screw it.", he thought to himself, carefully sliding the needle with serum on Shadow's left arm, careful not to mess anything up.

Seeking on his suitcase for the right bottle, he also took a syringe, sucking in the right amount of liquid with the needle, soon injecting it within the serum. "Don't worry, Shadow. You'll be alright."

Looking at his work with a smile, satisfied and proud of it, the young, kind fox noticed that the hedgehog seemed a bit better. With a bright face, he left the bedroom, suddenly facing a sulky Sonic, which impatiently asked him.

"So, how's him?" He asked, still clearly concerned, by the look on his eyes.

"Very weak, so it might be his immune system. I recommend you to keep him in absolute bed rest, tomorrow" he was interrupted by a small moment of surprise when looking in the clock "or, better, later I'll be back, Sonic, if you're still alive. Knowing him, I know he's not letting that one pass."

"I know…" The Blue Blur answered, scratching his head with a little embarrassed laugh. "But I can deal with that."

Tails just glanced at him for a moment, and, with a deep sigh, commented.

"It's your head, after all. I did what I could, and now, all it takes is wait, for the medicine to take effect." Looking once more at his friend, he stepped outside. "Good night, and try to sleep. You're looking no good."

"Good night, Tails… I… I don't even know how to thank you." Sonic answered, sincerely. The look on his eyes shone serenity, making the fox smile.

"Just don't die." The fox smiled.

Sonic still waited in the door, waiting for his golden furred friend to gradually disappear from his sight.

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R&R

by: Shadow Shirami and Kazuhiro.


	3. Chapter 3

I'm sorry for the long delay...

I had some problems, but you're alright now.

Well, I hope you enjoy ^^'

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Once Tails left, Sonic could finally relax and breathe, once he never grew so nervous in his whole life. That question was still haunting his mind, annoying him. Why would him be so nervous? Soon closing the door, he locked the whole house, feeling outworn.

He wanted to see him, maybe the ebony hedgehog was better, but he was afraid of waking him up. Thinking about that, he stopped his hand before reaching the doorknob, soon turning back and walking towards the kitchen, seeking for something to distract his mind with. He looked at the empty cabinets, some even with cobwebs, due to lack of use or cleaning. He would fix that later.

Sonic sighed, afraid of going to the bedroom, once, even if sedated, Shadow needed a long and peaceful night of sleep. Dark circles showed the Ultimate Life Form's lack of sleep, and the Blue Blur wanted to prevent anything from disturbing the other's recovery. Once noticing the Sun was rising, even though there were still some rebel clouds blocking the light. Tired of this long night – and beginning of a tiring day –, he fell in the couch, not caring about that, once he was in great shape, differently from Shadow, and that was enough to weirdly disturb him.

With a sigh, he closed his eyes, soon falling asleep.

Waking up with the sunlight that came through the window and reflected on the TV screen – which was annoying, in a way –, he soon sat back up, stretching slowly, not finding himself surprised with the loud sound of his bones snapping, and stood back on his feet, yawning.

Walked to the bathroom, and, after using it, went straight to the kitchen, just to remember there was nothing to be found. Resigned, he decided to get to the closest market, once he saw no other option, yet he feared leaving Shadow alone, and would ask Tails for help, but soon gave up on that idea, once remembering he already bothered the young Fox in the middle of the night for his own incompetence.

Sonic was leaving the house when noticing how colder the weather was getting since the last time he went out. According to his experience, it wouldn't be long until it started to snow, he just hoped it wouldn't bother him while he ran through the highway, so fast he could barely be seen, while laughing when hearing soft screams, due to the wind of his speed that always rose dresses. In a way, he was already used to the consequences of his speed, and sometimes laughed at these.

Entering the supermarket like a hurricane, the Blue Blur was fast, yet careful enough to not mess up the hundreds of canned soup units that could be found everywhere. Reaching the cashier with his hands full, he noticed he forgot his wallet, and cleverly asked the cashier to write this value down to Knuckles' account, soon thanking it and leaving, with his arms and hands full of bags.

Lost in his thoughts, he ended up bumping into someone, gulping nervously when noticing the one who fell down was the Echidna, himself.

"Hi, Knuckles! Err… I… I g-gotta go, see you later!" Quickly jumping back to his feet, Sonic just ran away, leaving the Echidna with a confused expression on his face.

"Weird… What happened to him?" Knuckles muttered to himself, scratching his head when watching the Hedgehog running away. Shrugging, he stood back up to his feet as well, turning back towards the supermarket, once he needed to refill his cupboard.

Finally back at the ebony Hedgehog's house, it seemed that many time had passed since he left. The sun was clearly present in the sky, even with the cold weather. As soon as he entered, Sonic lost no time and quickly stored the food he bought, before beginning to clean the place, which he honestly hated, yet, after a good while, found himself forced to do that, muttering to himself. Even though he hated the idea of cleaning, a stronger thought was present on his mind: that Shadow needed a clean place to breathe and slowly recover his health, which Sonic thought about while opening each and every window so some air would flow inside the place while he worked.

Hours had passed while the Hedgehog occupied himself with such task. It wasn't THAT bad, after all, yet his back was sore and he had calluses on his hands. Soon, a knock could be heard at the front door, which he quickly answered. It was Tails, who soon fell on his back, laughing.

"What?" He asked, slightly annoyed, wearing an apron and holding a duster.

"What happened to you!? You look like a MAID!" The young fox lost control over his own laughter, while Sonic glanced madly at him.

"Hilarious, Tails." The Hedgehog answered, sarcastically.

"S-sorry, sorry, I couldn't hold it back." Tails answered, running a hand to his head and rubbing his slightly sore – due to such hard laughter - belly with the other. "So, did you notice any sign of change on him?"

"Err… Well, to be honest, I didn't get there since earlier, so I don't know. I didn't want to end up messing it up." His voice showed a hint of embarrassment, before he looked down, trying to avoid visual contact with his friend.

"I understand, but I wouldn't mind that for now. Yet, he needs to eat something, otherwise his natural defenses will drop back to the levels we saw before. Luckily, I've got everything I need at home." The fox reassured, with a smile.

"Tails… I don't know how I could thank you for everything you did and do for me. I can't even find words to express my gratitude." Sonic answered sincerely, glaring at the blue eyes of his young friend.

"Let's postpone that, I'll need help with the tubes." Tails answered, with a serious expression on his face. Now it was time to _'work'_. Helping his friends always made him happy, and he obviously took this task as a work. It was a natural aspect of the fox's personality, he never felt forced to anything involving helping Sonic or any of his friends. Not that he considered Shadow a _'friend'_ , but, if he was Sonic's friend, he was also his friend.

"Tubes..?" Sonic asked, confused.

"He's sedated for a while, I cannot clearly estimate how long until the effect wear off, but if my estimates are correct, he might wake up tomorrow." The Fox said, slightly rubbing his chin.

"That long?" The Hedgehog asked, surprised.

"You saw his initial state, it's good to let him _'sleep'_. That might replenish the lost energy. Also, the medication will not be administered orally. The serum will hydrate his body, so… There's nothing to worry about." Tails smiled, confident.

"If you say… C'mon, Tails, get in!" Sonic answered, allowing he Fox in.

"And oh, before I forget, Knuckles is furious. I don't know what you did, but he asked, better, yelled that, if he catches you… You'll be left in a coma until the next Christmas."

Sonic slightly shivered with Knuckles' delicate message, while closing the door and walking silently after Tails. Both entered the bedroom, while the Fox checked the ebony Hedgehog's vital spots, besides the bandages and the serum bag.

"Tails… Is that really needed?" Sonic asked, looking at the countless bandages applied to the other Hedgehog.

"Hm?" Tails blinked, rather confused. "Don't you remember how you found him? You probably didn't notice, in the hurry, the infected wounds he has. These bandages are nothing but a preventive measure." He touched Shadow's forehead, measuring the Hedgehog's temperature. "Hm… The fever is slowly fading away."

 ** _"Wounds? What happened to you, Shadow? You seemed so healthy when we last met… Shadow…"_** Sonic thought to himself, absorbed in his thoughts while glancing at Shadow, until a hand waved right in front of his face.

"Hey? Sonic? I need your help here!" He called his friend, looking a bit suspicious at him.

"Oh! S-sorry, Tails. I think I got distracted." He smiled, a little shy.

"You think?" The Fox answered, with a little laugh. "Come on, Sonic. I need you to hold him while I insert the tube. Hold him firmly and open his mouth. It's not hard, but I need to be quick, otherwise he can choke. Got it?" He asked, already with such tube in hands, using a transparent latex glove.

Sonic nodded, yet felt pretty anxious and certainly fearful when doing it, yet Tails was right, it wasn't hard. Once the tube was in the Hedgehog's throat, the young fox added a syringe to the exposed edge of the tube, looking disgusted at this content. He didn't want to even know what it was, just turned his face away.

To touch his rival's face, to feel the other's breathing centimeters away from his face made him nervous, even if it was needed to medicate and feed Shadow. Praying for his nervousism to remain unnoticed before the 'patient', Sonic had no idea of what caused such feeling, what made his heart beat so fast, in an uncommon manner.

"That'll help enhancing the immune system." Tails muttered, injecting another syringe with a colorless liquid wth the serum. "Maybe he can even wake up earlier than expected, only time will tell." The young fox commented, with a smile.

"Thank you, Tails." He sighed. Sonic had absolutely no idea that this task would be a little different and baffling, and wondered if he was also treated like that, in the many times he fell unconscious. Deep inside, he disapproved the fact Tails touched the other Hedgehog so freely, but the Blue Blur soon shook his head, avoiding such thoughts.

"Well, like I said, you gotta wait. Maybe he'll wake up earlier than expected, if his immune system recovers properly, the sedative's effect will wear off in little time. Again, I cannot estimate clearly, once his system is a little more complex, in a way, once he wasn't, let's say, ' _born_ ' like us, we can face variations of how his body will react when he's awake. My guess, though, is that he will face dizziness that's why I ask you to keep him in the bed, for at least two weeks." Tails concluded.

"I need to ask you a little favor. Since I'll be here, if Eggman decides to do anything, I'll leave the task of kicking his butt in your hands. Ultimately, he had been weaker than before, so it'll be easy." Sonic smiled.

"Right, thanks for trusting us, hero." Tails answered, ironically.

"…" Sonic just scratched his head a bit, laughing shyly. "See you later?"

"Yes. Oh, if he wakes up, call me. I'll need to examine him further to ensure his recovery and that he's following my advice. And, take this." He gave the Hedgehog a chart with twenty small pills. "It's an analgesic, it can be useful. Remember, medicate him every eight hours, if he's sore."

"Got it. See you later, Tails." Sonic walked the young Fox outside. "Well, I ask you to keep this whole thing between us. Please, don't tell anyone about Shadow or what we're doing here." The plural pronunciation still troubled him, but he ignored that.

"Amy?" The Fox asked, raising one of his eyebrows.

"Shadow…" Sonic answered, with a sigh.

"Got it." He smiled and waved. "Later, Sonic! Hope things get better." The young fox followed his way, in order to head back to his workshop, where he was working on the last details of a engine prototype for his plane.

"Me too…" Sonic whispered to himself.

Headed back to the bedroom, where he found Shadow 'sleeping', his breathing slow. Sonic replaced the towel to the other's forehead, once he began sweating once again, as if he was having a nightmare. His painful expression was a torture for the blue hedgehog, which simply couldn't resist the temptation of touching his face in order to comfort the ebony Hedgehog, even though he had absolutely no idea of why he did that, though he couldn't help but find Shadow's expression sort of cute. **_"You're gonna be alright, Shadow… I'm with you."_**

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Comment if you like this... I like know as is the story ^-^'

See ya, guys.

by: Shadow Shirami.

(and thankies Kazu for helping me with this ;-;)


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